Bob Pilz goes nose to snout with Roger, a 4-1/2-year-old American alligator, at "Cock-A-Doodle Zoo," his animal farm in Scandia on Wednesday December 7, 2011. "She's really a joy to have," said Pilz. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall)

Bob Pilz's popularity soars when he brings out the feed bucket with his llamas at "Cock-A-Doodle Zoo," his animal farm in Scandia on Wednesday December 7, 2011. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall)

A 4-1/2-foot alligator that was one man’s burden in July has become another man’s blessing.

Roger the alligator caused a stir when it escaped from its Woodbury owner’s yard for a two-day swim in a nearby golf course pond. Neighbors were on alert, and police notified the owner that alligators were a no-no in city limits.

Enter Bob Pilz. The Scandia man, who runs a petting zoo and educational animal farm called Cock-A-Doodle Zoo, was happy to take in the 30-pound reptile.

In fact, Pilz said, Roger was the catalyst he needed to refine his dream of operating a full-fledged animal park focused on education about saving the world’s animals.

“This new vision started with Roger,” Pilz said. “I was stuck until I started researching the alligator.”

Pilz, who grew up in White Bear Lake and is a cabinetmaker and carpenter by trade, started out 12 years ago with some goats, a potbelly pig and a camel. At the time, it was just a hobby, he said.

He now has upward of 50 animals, most exotic and non-native species.

His ever-growing animal family includes llamas; snow foxes; bobcats; raccoons; a capuchin monkey named Cami Sue who joins the family indoors for much-needed interaction; an African porcupine and a skunk who roam the barn like house cats; a Blue Front Amazon parrot; two macaws; at least five types of turtles; a kinkajou; a coatimundi; servals; lemurs; hedgehogs; lizards; a red kangaroo; an emu; a peacock; cavies and a savannah monitor.

Pilz has been working to transform his love and passion for animals into a viable business.

He does petting zoos and school seminars and is hoping to soon put together some spots for local cable TV. But he has a vision to do much more.

“Our goal, our dream is to build a camp or park. Like a day camp for kids, focused on planetary sustainability,” Pilz said.

As he walks his vast property in northeastern Scandia, he points to grassy plains that will be transformed into South American habitats and rough mounds that will become waterfalls. The upper level of the barn will be converted to a classroom, a reptile and amphibian center and a workspace for veterinary students (he has University of Minnesota students helping as interns).

Some of the work has begun, some supplies lay at the ready, and there’s a long wish list.

“Almost everything is coming out of donations right now. I use Craigslist a lot,” Pilz said. “The next step is to go after corporate funding.”

Pilz’s operation is a nonprofit, and he’s got all the necessary licensing and permits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the city.

Any money that comes in goes directly to upgrading the site. So, for now, he’s keeping his day job.

But his long-term vision is to do this full time, he said.

His renewed enthusiasm and grand visions arrived with Roger, who he calls a blessing.

As he prepared to bring the alligator to his sanctuary, he researched the large reptile. He learned about the shrinking habitat of the American alligator in the South and how global warming plays a role.

Pilz suddenly had a new mission: “How do we teach families, kids to protect the species? For me, it’s teaching them about saving the animals in the wild.”

He acknowledged the irony of visiting animals in captivity to learn about saving their wild counterparts but said all of his animals were either rescues or came from unwitting private owners who probably shouldn’t have had them in the first place. Some came from similar petting zoo or animal park operations.

Roger was the most recent addition. Pilz’s first discovery was that Roger was actually a female.

During the winter, Roger is staying in a massive tub inside the animal barn, sharing the space with some turtles. During the warmer months, she’ll stay outdoors in a real pond – in a highly secure enclosure, Pilz was sure to point out.

In her native habitat, Roger would grow a foot or more a year, Pilz said. But here in the arctic north, she’ll top out at 6 to 8 inches annually, meaning it will take longer for her to reach full size. When she reaches 6 feet, Pilz will work to find her a new home – somewhere she can really thrive at that size – but she’s too tame to ever be released into the wild.

For now, Pilz is excited to have her and said his petting zoo visitors love her.

There are myriad species he’d like to add to the group, but they’ll come slowly as opportunities arise, and as money, space and time permit, he said.

“We’ve just been trying to start small and grow big,” Pilz said of his family-run operation.

Elizabeth Mohr came to the Pioneer Press in 2006 and has covered education, public safety, city and county governments and courts. She's done stints as a weekend reporter and as an online breaking news reporter. In 2014, she took over the Ramsey County and federal court beat, as well as archdiocese coverage. Mohr is a South Dakota native and a University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) graduate.

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